Armenian students to study remotely following state of emergency

After declaring a state of emergency, Armenia has decided to cancel classes at all educational institutions, including international ones, and a pilot distance learning programme is being launched, Minister of Education Arayik Harutyunyan announced on March 18.

Now, public television stations will be airing daily lessons and lectures.

“We have collaborated with the Public Broadcasting Company to create an opportunity to continue holding all lectures and lessons. There will be classes on the air every morning from 08:30 to 09:30, and then again from 11:30 to 12:40. And the classes will continue all day,” said Arayik Harutyunyan.

The Ministry of Education will also have a separate channel on Youtube, onto which all recorded classes will be uploaded. One of the mobile and internet service providers will provide the Ministry of Education with a separate channel for round-the-clock broadcasting.

All higher educational institutions, as well as some elementary schools, have independently switched to distance learning. The Ministry is helping those schools who have been unable to make the transition on their own:

“We cannot say that we are currently able to provide all the necessary opportunities, but it will, in fact, become a nationwide pilot program in the general educational sphere. We encourage students, principals, students and parents to make efforts to succeed.”

• Armenia declares 30-day state of emergency due to coronavirus

• Coronavirus in the Caucasus: updated facts and figures, 15-16 March, 2020